1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system including a sorter unit and permitting a plurality of personal computers to be connected.
2. Related Background Art
An information processing apparatus of a type connected to external units, such as computers and/or facsimile apparatuses on a network, and having a mail box sorter for sorting and receiving recording sheets outputted from the connected apparatus has been considered to enable the receptacles (bins) for receiving the recording sheets to be appointed from the external apparatus by using driver software.
However, an information processing apparatus of the foregoing type cannot appoint bins from an external apparatus only when all of appointed bins have no sheets. Therefore, sorting has been inhibited though empty bins exist which are not used by a user. If the number of empty bins is smaller than that of sets of sheets to be sorted, sorting has been inhibited. The foregoing structure prevents improvement in the efficiency of using the bins in the mail box sorter.
Moreover, the external apparatus is not always provided with the driver software and therefore the recording sheets are discharged to a predetermined receptacle if the external unit has no driver software. That is, an information processing apparatus of the foregoing type has been provided with a special receptacle called a "non-sort bin" into which recording sheets are discharged if no recording sheet receptacle is appointed.
However, in a viewpoint of performing sorting of recording sheets and receiving of the same at an extremely satisfactory efficiency, the space for the fixedly provided non-sort bin prevents the improvement in the efficiency.
When an external apparatus appoints bins, it simply appoints the bin, at which the receipt is started, and the number of sets of sheets to be sorted. Therefore, if one sheet is left in a bin, the bin, at which the receipt is started, cannot be appointed and the receipt is inhibited. The foregoing fact deteriorates the efficiency in using the bins in the mail box sorter.
Since any receptacle has no display means although a plurality of network users share the mail box sorter, the user who has caused the recording sheets to be discharged to the receptacle cannot be detected frequently.
In the case where a plurality of receptacles for receiving the recording sheets are appointed from an input apparatus by using printer driver software, a stop bin (a bin at which sorting is ended) cannot be appointed though a start bin (a bin at which sorting is started) can be appointed arbitrarily. That is, the range of the receptacles to be used cannot be appointed. Therefore, the number of bins is unintentionally increased and thus the range of the receptacles, which can be used by another input apparatus, is limited undesirably.